Inside Matt James and Tyler Cameron's 'Bachelor' Bromance

ABC's The Bachelor and its spinoff, The Bachelorette, may be known as the premier TV destination for roses and romance, but as any member of the Bachelor Nation can tell you, some couples last longer than others. 

One relationship that has stood the test of time is the bromance between Season 25's Matt James and Tyler Cameron, the runner-up on Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette.

Matt and Tyler are pretty much like brothers, but with their relationship spanning more than a decade, fans are wondering just how Matt James met Tyler Cameron. 

Keep reading to find out everything about Matt and Tyler’s friendship, including how they met before ever being on The Bachelor.

Matt James is making history as The Bachelor franchise’s first Black Bachelor, but viewers know that any potential partner of Matt’s is going to have to contend with Matt’s other great love: Tyler Cameron. 

Matt and Tyler have been best friends since college. They first met while playing football for the Wake Forest University college team and have been inseparable ever since. 

After graduating Wake Forest, the two moved to New York City together and became roommates.

Together, they run a nonprofit in New York called ABC Food Tours, which bring kids from underserved communities to restaurants that they might not usually have a chance to visit. 

The two used their reality TV fame to raise the profile of their nonprofit and, as of 2020, were working with over 50,000 children all across the city.

After New York City went into lockdown, Matt and Tyler both moved to Tyler’s hometown of Jupiter, Fla., where they began making headlines for their social media content that included Season 15’s Bachelorette, Hannah Brown, who Tyler is still friends with.

While spending time in Jupiter, Matt also became close with Tyler’s mom, Andrea, who’s sadly since passed after she suffered from a brain aneurysm. 

Matt told ET that it was Andrea who first nominated him for the show.

Matt said that “[Andrea] would be happy to know that I followed through with it … I think she saw everything that it did for Tyler and the way that he had changed as a man, and me being his roommate and being one of her sons, I think that she wanted something like that for myself.”

When Matt was officially named the new Bachelor, Tyler posted his effusive congratulations on Instagram. “Now the world gets to see the person you are and the heart you have," he wrote. "You can change the world. Proud of you and so excited for you. Not excited that somebody will be taking my spot as your snuggle buddy.”

Tyler even gave his best friend some tips about joining Bachelor Nation, and about what he could expect from being on the show. 

Nothing too juicy, though. Tyler told Matt “to just have fun with it and let the process take its course.”

Catch The Bachelor on Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.